Bar to file defence by June 14 over lawyer’s suit on EGM

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar has been directed to file its defence by June 14 in a suit over the legality of its notice issued for the extraordinary general meeting on May 4.

Lawyer Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz in his suit wants the notice dated May 4 to call for the EGM declared null and void as it was not in accordance with the Legal Profession Act 1976.

High Court Judge Justice John Louis O’Hara fixed June 13 for the next case management.

Justice O’Hara made the order in chambers yesterday after meeting counsel Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman and Shaharudin Ali who acted for Khairul and Idza Hajar Ahmad Idzam for the four defendants.

Shaharudin said they needed to respond to the defence by June 21.

He also said the three defendants – Bar Council, Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee and Bar Council secretary Tony Woon Yeow Thong – were planning to strike out the suit.

In his suit filed on May 17, Khairul had named the Bar Council, Malaysian Bar, Lim and Woon as defendants.

Khairul claimed that at about 1.05pm on May 4, Woon had uploaded a circular on the Malaysian Bar website stating that an EGM would be held at a hotel here at 3pm on May 11.

He said Woon uploaded the circular titled “Motion in relation to the events of and surrounding the Bersih 3.0 public assembly on April 28 and matters in connection therewith”, proposed by Lim, on behalf of the Bar Council this year at about 11.29pm on May 4.

He said the defendants failed, refused or neglected the statutory rights of the Bar’s 14,189 members by not mailing the notice and motion to them.

He also alleged that the notice calling for the EGM was issued less than seven days before May 11, adding that members were also not properly notified.